Long-winless U.S. gets 4th medal

NORDIC SKIING

Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle

Published
4:00 am PST, Friday, February 26, 2010

While the U.S. Alpine skiers have enjoyed a record-breaking Olympics, their far lesser-known counterparts in Nordic combined - a hybrid, conceived-in-Scandinavia pursuit that combines ski jumping with skiing cross country - have gone yet a giant step further by completely redefining themselves.

Non-factors in every previous Winter Games, the Yanks have won medals in every event this time and four of a possible nine, twice as many as the runner-up Austrians.

"Today was the icing on the cake," Bill Demong said after winning in the long hill combined for the first-ever American gold in the sport. Teammate Johnny Spillane was right on Demong's tail, claiming silver. It was Spillane who won the first Nordic combined medal in U.S. Olympic history - a silver in the normal hill event Feb. 14.

"It's been an interesting journey, and an incredible one" said Demong, who, like Spillane, will turn 30 this year. "All of the highs, ... all the lows. ... Today was pretty insane because I'd have been perfectly happy with just Johnny having the silver medal."

United States' gold medal winner Bill Demong, front and United States' silver medalist Johnny Spillane ski during Cross Country portion of the Men's Nordic Combined Individual event from the large hill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, BritishColumbia, Canada, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010. less

United States' gold medal winner Bill Demong, front and United States' silver medalist Johnny Spillane ski during Cross Country portion of the Men's Nordic Combined Individual event from the large hill at the ... more

Photo: Dmitry Lovetsky, AP

Photo: Dmitry Lovetsky, AP

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United States' gold medal winner Bill Demong, front and United States' silver medalist Johnny Spillane ski during Cross Country portion of the Men's Nordic Combined Individual event from the large hill at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Whistler, BritishColumbia, Canada, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010. less

United States' gold medal winner Bill Demong, front and United States' silver medalist Johnny Spillane ski during Cross Country portion of the Men's Nordic Combined Individual event from the large hill at the ... more

Photo: Dmitry Lovetsky, AP

Long-winless U.S. gets 4th medal

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Gruber's victory in the jumping portion - conducted in dreadful weather conditions - had permitted him to start the 10K cross-country ski race with a 34-second advantage over Spillane and 46 seconds over Demong. But he proved no match for the two-headed American monster once they all started huffing and puffing across the snowy, wind-whipped landscape.

"We just kept taking turns," Spillane said, "waiting, (sharing) the lead. We did some big accelerations, and eventually (Gruber) was going to break."

Which he did. The 27-year-old Austrian soldier would be reined in about halfway through the race and eventually dropped. He salvaged third, finishing almost a minute behind Demong's 24:46.9. Spillane came in at 25:02.9.